Corsages are often made by impaling the severed end of a fresh flower with a wire holder. To keep the flower fresh for an extended period, it is known to add a moisture reservoir to the holder. My U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,462 (hereby incorporated by reference) describes a holder with such a moisture reservoir; cotton is wrapped around a flocked-wire stem and covered by an outer coating of water-repellent adhesive tape.
Artificial stems for flowers used in floral arrangements have been made by doubling and twisting a length of wire which has been wound with a textile covering (such as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,889, hereby incorporated by reference).